Gene Control Mammalian Reproduction

652 NATURE. VOL. 223, AUGUST 9, 1969 gives useful sets of worked examples. These examples are have special appeal to research workers and advanced perhaps the most valuable part of the book. They are students, who will find an invaluable guide to important clearly and logically set out and will certainly prove a experiments in the field and will appreciate 650 references useful guide to those wishing to have a cookbook outline extending to the beginning of 1968. Among the special of statistical methods. It would be wise, however, to merits of the work are the inclusion of frequent summaries take care in using the sections described as "instant" at the ends of sections and a full appreciation of the earlier and "short and dirty". work which has laid the foundation of embryology and The book outlines practical calculations of standard much of which is so easily overlooked with the advent of deviation, variance ratio, t-tests, correlation, factorial new methods of analysis. J. B. GURDON designs, analysis of variance and data transformations. Chapter six, on experimental design, is particularly clear and interesting. There is a glossary of statistical terms and abridged statistical tables are included. L. SAUNDERS MAMMALIAN REPRODUCTION Traite de Zoologie Anatomic, Systematique, Biologic. Publie suus la direction de Pierre-P. Grasse. Tome XVI: Mammiferes. GENE CONTROL Fasc. VI: Mamollcs, Appareil Genital, Gametogenese, Gene Activity in Early Development Fecundation, Gestation. Pp. 1028 + 1 plato. (Masson By Eric H. Davidson. Pp. xi+ 375. (Academic Press: et Cie: Paris, 1969.) 280 francs. New York and London, February 1969.) 116s 8d. THIS is a new and valuable addition to a famous series. THE subject of this book is of considerable interest at the The book deals exhaustively with the mammary glands present time. This is partly because work in the past and genital organs, efficiently with gametogenesis and ten years has shown that greater natural fluctuations in fertili:.~ation, briefly with gestation-and surprisingly (in gene activity take place in early development than at view of its title) with chromosomes and chromosomal other stages of life, and partly because the extent to which evolution. changes in gene activity are responsible fur cell differentia Treatment of mammary glands and genital organs tion can be very profitably explored in situations where occupies throe-quarters of this weighty volume; it is cells undergo differentiation but little if any growth; mostly the work of Albert Raynard, but includes a this happens in the early development of most animal chapter on the ovary by Robert Cuurrier. The mammary eggs, but in very few other circumstances. glands arc dealt with comparatively, from tho aspects of The experimental analysis of early animal development morphology and development, together with the cytology is not itself a new subject. A fundamental principle of and histochemistry (but not ultrastructure) of milk development, the existence of a relationship between secretion. (Lactation is not considered.) Anomalies and unequally distributed materials in an egg and the nature induced changes are also discussed. The bibliography of of subsequent cell differentiation in an embryo, was about 150 references is divided according to the arrange established over 40 years ago. The analysis of how these ments of subject matter, which is convenient, but it is regions of egg cytoplasm exert their effect on development, notable that only five references are in the 1960s. The however, has been severely restricted, until recently, by chapter on the genital organs is a treatise in itself-487 tho lack of any criteria, other than cytological, by which pages-about half of it on anatomy and histology, to recognize changes in nuclear or gene activity. Within and the remainder on embryonic development and its the last ten years current methods of molecular and cell anomalies, in monotremes, marsupials and placental biology have permitted tho direct identification of gene mammals. (Froemartinism is described, but not cell products. This book provides an excellent summary of mosaicism.) The material is clearly and systematically the extent to which recent work of this kind has so far set out, and lavishly illustrated with more than 400 line helped to elucidate the events that take place during drawings and half-tones. Tho morphology section must animal development and the mechanism of tho processes represent the fullest description yet published on this involved. ~:;ubject. The book is divided into four sections. The first Courrior's account of tho ovary relates to ovarian and describes changes in the synthesis and usc of gene products follicular development, ovulation, and corpus luteum from fertilization through early development. Section formation, to the endocrine background of these events, two concerns the locali:.~ation of cytoplasmic materials and changes in tho gonita.l tracts. He discusses briefly and their relationship to coli differentiation. Section the ovot,ostis, tho senile ovary, androgen production by three describes in detail the changes in nuclear expression the ovary, oral progestogens, and pheromones and the which accompany tho growth of the oocyte and the Whit,ton and Bruee "effects", but thoro is no word on formation of t,he egg. Lastly, section four discusses at luteolysins. The bibliography is strange: it lists only length the variable life of messenger RNA molecules and three of the many references in the text, but thirty-odd compares gene regulation in bacteria and animal cells. other works hearing on tho subject. The book is very largely concerned with amphibian and The remainder of tho book is largely occupied by sen urchin embryos, an emphasis which is justified by the chapters on gametogenesis, maturation and fertilization rolativo sparsity of information on the molecular basis of by Charles Thibault, a.nd on gestation by Courricr. early development in plants and other animals. Thibault's chapters are clearly set out in the modern In addition to summarizing tho results obtainod with idiom with well organized, critically appraised information. molecular hybridi:.~atiun and- other modern techniques, Subjects receiving atkntion inolude the rato of passage a.nd considerable space is very appropriately devoted to much resorption of spermatozoa in the epididymis, capacitation older descriptive and experimcnt,al work on a, variety of and deeapaeitatiun, and tho distribution and longevity of animal embryos not so far subjected to biochemical gametes in the fernn.lc t,rnct. Tabulation and illustration analysis. The approach adopted has been to assemble of data are very adequate and helpful. Extensive biblio and coordinate a wide variety of results and to keep to a graphies are appended to eaeh chapter. rninirnwn any discussion of the validity of tho original Courrier's seCfmd chapter, "Gestation in Placental authors' conclusions. Thus readers who wonder about Mammals", is short (29 pages). It is concerned with the the mechanism of gcno control in early animal develop role of hormones in embryo transport and implantation ment will find their speculations largely unimpinged upon and in pregnancy and parturition. There are brief by views of the author. For this reason the book will sections on delayed implantation and on extra-uterine © 1969 Nature Publishing Group NATURE. VOL. 223. AUGUST 9, 1969 653 pregnancies (including the work of Mayer, Glenister, amount of overlap in each. Important topics such as Kirby, and others) but nothing on placental structure and controlled burning and grazing are considered in a couple function, foetal development, and the like. The biblio of pages each. graphy contains useful references on gestation, but barely In spite of these criticisms, however, I found some com half a dozen text and list references correspond. prehensive sections on aerial census techniques, in which Finally, there is the contribution on "Chromosomes and systematic and random methods are compared; quantity Chromosomal Evolution in Mammals", by Robert Matthey. and quality of diet; reproduction, in which a population It is a revised version of an account that appeared in of sheep is taken as an example; anatomical and micro volume twelve (1954) and deals expertly with sex biological studies of digestive tracts; immobilization, chromosomes, the sex chromatin and the Lyon hypothesis which is covered by two papers, and epizootiology. (half a page), chromosomal evolution (with lists of diploid At the end, Petrides provides some helpful conversion numbers) and chromosomal polymorphism. For sources factors for productivity measurements. of data before 1958, the reader is offered six key references, In conclusion, this is a useful book but of uneven but none for the numerous more recent text citations. quality. It gives the impression that it has suffered from In spite of its shortcomings, this is an impressive unequal effort spent on the various sections and from the publication and cannot fail to be accepted as the standard change in editorship during its gestation. reference in most of the fields that it covers. CHRISTOPHER R. FIELD C. R. AusTIN WHITE ANT BIOLOGY FROM GRASS TO MEAT Biology of Termites Vol. l. Edited by Kumar Krishna and Francis M. ·weesner. A Practical Guide to the Study of the Productivity of Pp. xiii+598. (Academic Press: New York and London, Large Herbivores April, 1969.) 298s. (International Biological Programme Handbook No. 7.) Edited by Frank B. Galley and Helmut K. Buechner. Pp. THE price and weight of this book at once imply multiple authorship. There are indeed fifteen contributors, each xii + 308. (Blackwell (Scientific) : Oxford and Edinburgh, 1968.) 40s. an active investigator in the field, who contribute among them seventeen chapters each with forty to a THIS book should be read by scientists before embarking hundred or more references. This first volume contains on studies of the productivity of large herbivores. It is general or comparative accounts of external and internal of most value in giving direction to the work of research anatomy, behaviour, food exchanges within the colony, teams and is less suitable for use in the field.

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